But on Tuesday an exasperated journalist unmasked the deception with an eye-roll that was shared by millions in China, before Beijing's huge army of censors swung into action.

Liang Xiangyi a reporter for Yicai Media, was captured in the clip giving a devastating glance towards another female reporter as she asked a long-winded question on China's Belt and Road infrastructure project.

The reporter with the microphone, was identified as Zhang Huijun, a reporter for American Multimedia Television (AMTV), which has strong links to China's state broadcaster, CCTV.

Her question, to Xiao Yaqing, the director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), was hardly confrontational.

“The transformation of the responsibility of the supervision for state assets is a topic of universal concern,” she said.

“As director of SASAC, what new measures will you introduce in 2018?”

She then went on - for more than 40 seconds - to praise how China will continue to open up to the outside world as it marks the "40th anniversary of reform and opening up".